Antique? Clay ID

[Kalvins]

Not sure what clay type this teapot is, any help would be greatly appreciated. Yixing? painted? 1970's? seal/chop? It has a half ball strainer. Very tea stained inside. many thanks in advance.

[Kalvins]

Seal/chop.

[MarshalN]

Not antique, not clear if it has anything to do with yixing, will not use if I were you

[Chip]

I don't know much about Chinese pottery, but the ball filter looks like a common Japanese screen. Is the chop Chinese?

[gingkoseto]

The chop is Chinese. I can't discern the first two characters. But it's either the photo or the teapot itself, the teapot didn't interest me much.

The ball strainer started to be used on some yixing and chaozhou teapots in 1980s, and possibly there was some earlier experimental works. I love the ball strainer but it seems most Chinese drinkers are not excited about it. In recent years, I've seen more of the ball strainers on chaozhou pots than yixing pots (but overall not many of them), and I suspect it has to do with brewing habits.

[MarshalN]

I personally hate ball filters - they're terrible.

[Chip]

I personally hate ball filters - they're terrible.

I just recently rediscovered ball filters in Japanese kyusu after hating them for years. Off topic, but they actually drain Japanese greens much better than sasame screens (when made right).

Of course for Chinese teas, these are a completely different leaf forms.

[chrl42]

I don't know much about Chinese pottery, but the ball filter looks like a common Japanese screen. Is the chop Chinese?

I heard from a person who met Wang Xiao-long (Wang Yin-chun's son), where he said he invented the ball filter, for the pots exported to Japan in 70's.

It's very common pots for exportation were made for local needs, and cultural exchange among potters are often,

For example, Chaozhou potters imitating Yixing Zhuni, European potters imitating Yixings in 17~18c, Japanese potters doing that in 19c

Backwards, Yixing potters also took that (ball filter) from Kyusu, not only that, some Yixing Zhuni potters made Kyusu in Yixing style, using Yixing Zhuni. Same goes for Chaozhou Shantou pots, in 19c, many Shantou pot and Yixing Zhuni have a duplicating looking, but one was wheel-thrown and the other was made in Yixing style because communication between the two was often back then..most notablely Pan Hu (took the style from Shantou)

[tingjunkie]

Never seen a pot like that before. It doesn't strike me as Yixing, but I'm hardly an expert. Clean the hell out of it, and see what it looks like then.

[brandon]

It looks like an imitation of a Japanese Tokoname kiln marbled clay pot. Perfect match in the color palette. However, the clay there is mostly just brushed on a solid color body instead of being actually mixed. The filter, as mentioned, also looks of more Japanese design.